Preparation

Questions each year represent international events for the year.  Questions regarding anniversaries which occur that year are allowed.  For instance, references to the anniversary for D-Day would have been acceptable in WorldQuest 2014.

International leaders, particularly those “in the news,” are likely to appear.  This could take the form of a picture of the leader and a straightforward “Name this person” or a question about some event in which he/she had a role during that year.

International events in which the US was involved are more likely than isolated crisis which are less pertinent to US policy.

International organizations may be included, particularly those with decisions/actions that year which affect many nations.

Some games may include flag questions.  Country flags and those of organizations are fair game.

In preparing for the Geography round, it is a good idea to review both physical and political geography topics.

Sporting events/winners might be included.  Review international events.

 

It is likely there will be questions from the same year’s Great Decisions topics.  Therefore, it is an advantage for a team to have attended the Council’s Great Decisions lectures held in January and February of each year.

 

High School Competition:

Each high school may have more than one team participating in the competition.  Each team may have no more than eight (8) members. Sponsors may choose students from a Model United Nations team, World Affairs Club, Quiz Bowl, Academic Junior World Affairs Club, or similar organization.  Generally, the group will select a captain and will need to coalesce among themselves to select a single answer; it is advisable to have a cohesive quality of respect.

Some schools have found it advisable in building a program to submit a second team.  That is, your best eight are a varsity team and the second level team would be considered a junior varsity team.  The assumption is that the nucleus of the JV team may become the leaders of the varsity team next year.

Parents are welcome to attend the competition as non- paying guests, or they may pay the single fee and participate in the game.  However, spectators are not expected to enjoy the buffet.

 

Dress:  Business Casual.  No flip flops or jeans.

 

Review the following questions from former WorldQuest Competitions:

2019
General Knowledge

  1. Name the current Conservative Prime Minister of Westminster.
  1. In April of 2019, the World Affairs Council of Greater Hampton Roads commemorated the 70th anniversary of this international organization____. The main speaker was Kay Bailey Hutchison.
  1. “Finance watchers” noted in late August, 2019 that Japan held more US Treasury-bills than any other country. The Japanese Prime Minister is ___.
  1. Name the country in which the US Women’s soccer team won the 2019 World Cup.
  1. In August of 2019, the US formally withdrew from a Cold War-era treaty that banned missiles.  That treaty was known by its acronym, the _ __.
  1. In March 2019, aviation authorities and airlines around the world grounded this passenger airliner after two separate aircraft crashed, killing all 346 people aboard. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, name the company that manufactures this aircraft. _______
  1. Name the current Chief Executive of Hong Kong who has served since 2017.
  1. In April of 2019, Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned his presidency amid widespread protests after nearly two decades in office. Bouteflika was previously the President of this north African nation. __________
  1. On 31 July 2019 India banned the practice of triple talaq, which had previously allowed any Muslim man to legally ______ his wife by uttering the word talaq three times in oral, written or, more recently, electronic form.
  1. So as not to compromise the Good Friday Agreement, a controversial protocol in the (unratified) Brexit withdrawal agreement would keep the United Kingdom (in general) in the European Union Customs Union and Northern Ireland (in particular) in some aspects of the European Single Market, until a solution is found to prevent a hard border. That protocol is called the ______________.

People and Places

  1. Identify the young woman from Sweden who stated “The grown-ups have failed us” at the UN Youth Climate Summit, held on September 21, 2019 in New York City.

A. Alva Myrdal

B. Alicia Vikindar

C. Elsa Hosk

D. Greta Thunberg

  1. The G20 Summit was held on 28–29 June 2019 at the International Exhibition Center in Osaka, Japan.  Where will the G20 Summit be held in 2020?

A. Argentina

B. China

C. Saudi Arabia

D. South Africa

  1. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex traveled to Africa this fall with their baby, ___.

A. Alvin

B. Archie

C. Arthur

D. Spencer

  1. The People’s Republic of China has embarked on a significant building campaign across the world, including Indonesia, Philippines, Kenya, and Ecuador. This Belt and Road Initiative is:

A. built with local and Chinese labor for the respective projects

B. allowing China to obtain long-term leases on ports

C. forcing Pakistan to seek loans from Saudis and IMF to pay back the Chinese

D. all of these.

  1. Mary Anastasia O’Grady asserts that the stumbling block to change in Venezuela is her army’s control by ____ forces.

A. BRAZILIAN

B. CHILIAN

C. COLOMBIAN

D. CUBAN

  1. The Israeli elections of 2019

A. represent the difficulties of having 334 parties in a democracy

B. the need for an effective coalition

C. show Netanyahu’s attempts to form a unity government

D. all of these

  1. Various tariff proposals have been newsworthy in 2019. Name the People’s Republic of China’s leader whose position as General Secretary of the Communist Party also allows for control of many state-owned business enterprises.

A. Li Keqiang

B. Li Yuanchao

C. Xi Jinping

D. Zhou Qiang

  1. After the US withdrew its forces from Northern Syria, Turkey launched an operation to eliminate Kurd presence in what Turkey called a security zone and the Kurds called their ancestral home. Which are not considered part of the geography of the traditional “Kurdistan”?

A. Armenia

B. Lebanon

C. Iran

D. Iraq

  1. On April 22 of this year, final results revealed that actor Volodymyr Zelensky won the election to become the President of Ukraine. Prior to his win, Zelensky played what role on his popular television program?

A. Chief Police Inspector

B. KGB Agent

C.  President of Ukraine

D. Royal Prince

10.

Geography

  1. Fires in the Amazon basin have been in the news of 2019. Who’s the leader of the largest country in South America?

A. Bolsonaro

B. Macri

C.  Pinera

D. Vizcarra

  1. There was a bit of a tiff recently about the US’s proposal to buy Greenland from

A. Denmark

B. Iceland

C.  Norway

D. Sweden

  1. According to Sherpas who’ve noted unprepared climbers, 2019 has seen an increase in the number of deaths among those who would scale

A. Jungfrau

B. Manaslu

C.  Blanc

D. Everest

  1. The September speaker for WAC-GHR was the former American Ambassador to ____, a country which recently withdrew from OPEC.

A. Iran

B. Oman

C.  Qatar

D. Russia

  1. Robert Mugabe, a hero of independence and the fashionable despot of Zimbabwe, perished in 2019. What was the name of Zimbabwe during its time as a self-governing British Colony?

A. Biafra

B. Congo

C.  Nysaland

D. Rhodesia

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Current Events

  1. The debate over ___ is at the heart of United Kingdom’s parliamentary dilemma.

A. Brexit

B. the conversion to the Euro

C.  the Speaker of the House of Commons’ retirement

D. Scottish independence

  1. The Nobel Peace Prize, 2019, was awarded to __________.

A. Abiy Ahmed

B. Jacinda Ardern

C.  Raoni Metuktire

D. Reporters Without Borders

  1. The August, 2019 G-7 meeting was held in

A. Biarritz

B. Berlin

C. Bern

D. Beijing

  1. This year’s news references to “Sea of Tranquility” and the film “First Man”
    commemorate

A. unmanned space exploration; Pitt.

B. civilian space travel; Musk.

C.  Virgin Airlines plans; Branson.

D. 50th Anniversary; Armstrong.

  1. Which is associated with recent news about Hong Kong?

A. Prohibition on demonstrators’ face masks

B. Lakers’ Lebron James wanting to protect his profitable business ties with PRC

C.  Firing at crowds, coinciding with PRC’S celebrating 70 years of communism

D. All of these

6. News reports indicate the Iranians blew up Saudi oil fields and the Saudis ____.

A. Fired upon an Iranian oil tanker near Jetta.

B. Killed an Iranian diplomat at an embassy.

C. Permanently cut oil production.

D. Withdrew from OPEC.

  1. Elections this fall in Bolivia were contested because a fourth presidential term was thought to be illegal. Name the President who fled to Mexico.

A. Bachelet

B. Chavez

C. Maduro

D. Morales

  1. Where did significant flooding occur this month, threatening St. Mark’s?

A. Amsterdam

B. Moscow

C. Rome

D. Venice

9. September, 2019, and December, 2019, respectively, mark the 80th and 75th anniversaries of:

A. Beginning of World War 1 and Dunkirk

B. Hitler’s invasion of Poland and Battle of the Bulge

C. Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech and the completion of the Berlin Wall

D. The Inchon Landing and Tet Offensive

10. In Britain’s election, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has to campaign for his seat in Parliament much like other candidates. Which area does he represent?

A. Barchester

B. Casterbridge

C. Unbridgeable

D. Chipping Cleghorn

Tie Breaker

  1.  Bowing to pressure from China, Apple’s digital store removed an application that did what?

A. Allowed Hong Kong protesters to track police activity

B. Enabled people in China to access Western news about protests

C. Provided electoral information for voters in Taiwan

D. Helped Chinese Muslims locate kin in re-education camps

  1. BBC News reported on August 8, 2019 that India and Pakistan, yet again, are sparring over claims to

A. Kashmir

B. Maharaja Singh’s allegiance to Pakistan

C. Pakistan’s revocation of a seven-decade agreement

D. the supremacy of the Muslims in a Hindu-majority territory.

3.

4. From Wall S J, Nov 9-10, 2019:
Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil company, is planning to go public. How big a dividend does it plan to pay next year?

A. $1 billion

B. $50 billion

C. $75 billion

D. $100 billion

Answers

General Knowledge

  1. BORIS JOHNSON
  2. NATO
  3. ABE
  4. FRANCE
  5. INF
  6. BOEING
  7. LAM
  8. ALGERIA
  9. DIVORCE
  10. BACKSTOP

People and Places

  1. D. GRETA THUNBURG
  2. C. SAUDI ARABIAS
  3. B. ARCHIE HARRISON MOUNTBATTEN-WINDSOR
  4. D. ALL OF THESE
  5. D. CUBAN
  6. D. All OF THESE
  7. C. XI JINPING
  8. B. LEBANON
  9. C. PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE
  10. A.

Geography

  1. A.BOLSONARO
  2. A.DENMARK
  3. D.MT. EVEREST
  4. C. QATAR
  5. D.RHODESIA
  6. B.GABON
  7. C.TURKMENISTAN
  8. C.GRAND BAHAMA
  9. B.ASIA
  10. D.  MONTENEGRO

Current Events

  1. A. BREXIT
  2. A.ABY AHMED
  3. A.BIARRITZ
  4. D. 50TH ANNIVERSARY
  5. D.ALL OF THE ABOVE
  6. A. FIRED UPON AN IRANIAN OIL TANKER
  7. D.  MORALES
  8. D.  VENICE
  9. B.  HITLER’S INVASION OF POLAND AND THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE
  10. UNBRIDGEABLE